DAILY NATION Monday February 24, 2014 ENTERTAINMENT | Award-winning Kenyan appears on five popular TV shows BACKGROUND Leto full of praise for mum Jared Leto’s mother taught him to “dream”. And Jared has been accompanied to many ceremonies this year by his mother as a way of thanking her for her support. Jared, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor, has said: “We were born very poor and into pretty humble surroundings. My mother always wanted to do something better with her life and for her children. You know it’s crazy because when I read about these rumours, they are so detailed that even I start questioning whether they are true or not” Lupita Nyong’o Actress Lupita Nyong’o, winner of the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role award for ‘12 Years a Slave,’ at The Shrine Auditorium on January 18, in Los Angeles. PHOTO | AFP Love rumours only prov actress Lupita has made Demand by leading American media houses has made it difficult for Kenyan journalists to get faceto-face interview with Oscar nominee BY BMJ MURIITHI bmjmureithi@aol.com most sought-after artistes in the United States today. In the last two weeks, awardwinning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has appeared on five of the most popular US television shows while simultaneously making herself available for photo shoots ostensibly to replenish images for use by high-end magazines. Her publicists have been S keeping a full diary in the runup to the eagerly awaited Oscar Awards ceremony, slated for March 2, in Los Angeles. The demand by leading Ameri- can media houses has made it difficult for many Kenyan journalists to get a face-to-face interview with her. But whenever she has ap- peared on the TV screens in the US, she has been winning millions of admirers. But along with all the praise for her superb big screen performance, Lupita has also made headlines for her personal life. Perhaps that is why on Friday, the 30-year-old Oscar nominee appeared on the top rated Ellen DeGeneres Show to, among he is an undisputed star of the Hollywood awards season and one of the other things, address rumours that she was dating fellow Oscar nominee Jared Leto. In her characteristic witty style, DeGeneres — who hosts the daytime show with an estimated audience of five million viewers per episode — did not take long before she inquired about recent media reports that the 12 Years a Slave star has been seeing Leto. “So now you’re actually in tabloids which means you’ve really made it. Because there are rumours that you and Jared Leto are together.” But the actress didn’t shy away from the topic of her love life. “Ah, but I thought Miley Cyrus broke us up,” she offered. “That was the last thing I heard.” Pressed further, Lupita said that she was puzzled by how detailed the buzz about her relationship with actor Leto was. “You know it’s crazy because when I read about these rumours, they are so detailed that even I start questioning whether 41 years Age of Jared Leto, said to be dating fellow Oscar Nominee, 30-year-old Lupita Nyong’o they are true or not Lupita, tickled the jesting ab Nairobi N the host difficult t swirling her. “Yeah believed t and now believe an The mour sta reputable tertainmen reported graduate year-old seen together Accord report, source s blossomi at Manh Hotel. “They corner ta very close reporter. The tw at the Go events, le 2 Oscars, have appear the cover lywood issue and George Clooney. National News 3